Ripple XRP turned heads in recent weeks as it dethroned Ethereum as the #2 cryptocurrency in the world. Only Bitcoin itself has a larger market cap. Ripple is a controversial cryptocurrency, but one with undeniable merits. If crypto prices recover in 2019, our Ripple prediction is that XRP will test all-time-highs, and possibly go to $5 and beyond.

Ripple XRP: Current Ripple Price Prediction and Analysis

Ripple XRP sits at $0.32 at the time of this writing. That’s a more than 90% drop from XRP’s all-time-high price of $3.34. But that’s only bad news if you bought near the top (our condolences for readers in this boat).

We’ll explain the practical reasons why we believe the price of Ripple XRP is only going to rise. It’s always possible that another market decline will occur, but even then, Ripple may be the crypto project most likely to survive and thrive when the market returns.

If this process plays out in 2019 like we hope, XRP prices at $5 and beyond may become a reality.

Why Ripple XRP Prices Will Go Up in the Long Run

There are good reasons to believe that the price of Ripple XRP will increase in 2019. Here’s why we made our XRP price forecast:

Existing Partnerships

Today, Ripple XRP has a better argument for inherent value than it did a year ago. Ripple’s various products have been adopted by an impressive bevy of financial entities, such as Santander, PNC Bank, Wal-Mart, Western Union, and the Royal Bank of Canada. This list of banks and institutions is only going to get longer, at least according to this Ripple prediction.

Dubai Expansion

Ripple is expanding into the Middle East through new offices and partnerships in Dubai. Dilip Rao, Ripple’s head of infrastructure innovation, said

“Our focus initially is on cross-border payments because we think that’s where there is the most friction. In this part of the world, there is a huge requirement for cross-border transactions. This will support the economy both within the region and the rest of the world.”

RippleNet

Ripple’s suite of products (known collectively as RippleNet) is operational and growing. Many blockchain competitors cannot say as much. Systems like xCurrent, the InterLedger Protocol, xRapid, and xVia already have customers and daily volume.

Institutional Stability

Ripple is an institutional blockchain. This rubs plenty of cryptocurrency fanatics the wrong way. After all, cryptocurrency is supposed to be a technology for the people, right? Well, blockchain is a useful technology for everyone, and institutions like banks just love it. The fact that institutions are using Ripple means that Ripple is probably more stable than cryptocurrencies that are only used by investors. Ripple may not have the punky mystique of other popular cryptos, but this may actually be the key to its long term survival.

Ripple Economics

Ripple is cheap, but it needs to be expensive to accomplish its goals. For most of its existence, Ripple prices have been well below $1. Because new investors tend to associate low coin prices with value, this often attracts new money to Ripple before the same buyer might go with a more “expensive” coin like Bitcoin.

This is not the right way to think about the issue (investment returns depend on percentage growth, not the cost of the asset itself; also you don’t have to buy 1 Bitcoin all at once). Nonetheless, low prices make Ripple attractive to new buyers.

However, in the long run, Ripple needs to be more expensive if it is to function as a global currency. Imagine trying to buy a house with Ripple, and having to spend a million XRP coins to do so. A higher-valued XRP token would bring that number into a more practical range. Ripple Labs controls a great deal of the XRP coin supply. They plan, in the long term, for Ripple prices to rise. People who buy Ripple now stand a good chance of benefitting from this economic roadmap.

Ripple Speed and Other FundamentalsThere are certain fundamentals by which Ripple just murders the competition. Ripple isn’t the fastest cryptocurrency in the world, but it’s much faster than its most popular peers. Ripple boasts 1,500 transactions per second, while Bitcoin has fewer than 10.
Ripple also resolves transactions faster than Bitcoin (several seconds, compared to several minutes). Transaction costs are comparatively low for Ripple. Many more people in the world are familiar with Bitcoin than Ripple, but these fundamentals will likely continue to increase Ripple’s profile on the world stage.

Focus on Cross-Border Payments and Globalization

For a cryptocurrency to become a new standard in finance and technology, it must be successful on the international stage. Ripple has focused from the very start on international issues, such as banking, remittances, and cross-border payments. On the Ripple API, many different applications have been constructed to provide practical solutions to these sorts of issues.
In so doing,

Ripple has positioned itself to be the most adoptable cryptocurrency for many people around the world. Faster and more affordable than Bitcoin, easier to understand than Ethereum, and miles farther of the rest of the altcoins in terms of adoptions, Ripple is the closest thing we have to a truly international cryptocurrency. Bitcoin may have the bigger name, but in building itself into an international banking sector that affects billions, Ripple may be considered the most internationally adopted cryptocurrency. We expect the Ripple price to follow.

Ripple XRP Price Forecast for 2019, By Quarter

It’s impossible to predict how Ripple prices will change in the coming months, but we can always make an educated guess. Here’s what we expect from XRP prices during Q1-Q4 2019, with a fair amount of optimism thrown into the mix.

Q1 2019 – XRP Coin= <$1
This persistent bear market isn’t going to correct itself overnight. As of now, all crypto projects suffer the same way, regardless of the relative merit or lack thereof of individual projects. Investors remain scared of falling prices, and institutional investors have not yet entered the space in a significant way. We expect these conditions to remain for at least the first few months of 2019, with Ripple prices remaining below $1. This may represent a strong opportunity to invest in Ripple, because once XRP prices start to rise, they may never come this low again.

Q2 2019 – XRP Coin = $1-$2We expect the crypto markets to start getting interesting in the spring of 2019. We’ve already had some false starts and bull traps during late 2018 and early 2019, but unfortunately none of these have stuck. Ripple Labs will continue to make inroads in the world of business, and the crypto markets will slowly realize that this is a project that’s leading global fintech. During this period, Ripple prices will creep up, as investors tentatively test the strength of the next bull run. Perhaps Ripple will even creep closer to Bitcoin’s market cap, as news stories start to suggest that there may be a new king on the rise. By summer, Ripple could be approaching mid-2017 levels, and investors could be salivating for more.

Q3 2019 – XRP Coin = $3-$5
By Q3, we’ll definitely know whether or not Ripple has become a major fintech story for 2019. If it has, it’s likely that Ripple’s market cap will have significantly carved away at Bitcoin’s. Some may begin to think of the two cryptocurrencies as equals, and major competitors for the crypto throne. With international investment in multiple markets and economies, Ripple will surely have distinguished itself as a major international player, constantly building its base. If the altcoin market has recovered by this point, and Ripple’s momentum has sustained in something like the above scenario, we expect Ripple XRP to be trading beyond past all-time highs.

Q4 – XRP Coin = $5-$10
The argument can be made that when compared to the other strict cryptocurrencies (Bitcoin, Litecoin, DASH, etc.), no coin has more development and adoption momentum than Ripple. This was certainly true in 2018. If this streak stays hot through 2019, we expect Ripple XRP to be trading well above past all-time highs, and possibly approaching the fabled $10 mark. Of course, a year in the future is a generation in crypto-years, but we can have fun with predictions like these. Still, these ideas are based in the reality of Ripple’s impressive fundamentals and partnerships. It could happen. Ripple investors should be ready.

Is Now the Time to Buy Ripple XRP? Ripple Price Prediction Conclusion

We can’t tell you how to invest your money, but we can say this: if any cryptocurrency is well-situated for a major growth spurt in 2019, it’s Ripple XRP. We’ve made the case that Ripple has better partnerships, more impressive fundamentals, and greater growth potential than most of its top tier competitors. For now, Ripple prices are still low (as are all altcoin prices). The time may be now to buy Ripple, before prices recover and sub-$1 prices seem like a distant memory. Do your own research and never invest more than you can afford to lose, but don’t sleep on Ripple. It could end up being one of the great investment stories of 2019.

The crypto markets continue to suffer after a prolonged “Crypto Winter”. But many think that the golden age of blockchain and cryptocurrency is yet to come. We’ve seen incredible technological developments during 2018, even if crypto prices did not follow suit. Sooner or later, some of these blockchain projects are going to break through, and investors who hold these digital coins and tokens are going to reap their reward.

Here are our top 10 crypto picks for 2019. Some of these are old favorites, and some relative newcomers. No one can predict the future, but we hope that anyone with these coins in their portfolio will have good luck in investing during 2019.

1. NEO (NEO)

NEO was one of the most hyped crypto tokens of 2018, but it has fallen off more than 90% from its all time high price. Fortunately for NEO holders, this is where the bad news stops. NEO boasts some top quality Dapps (more on this later), what may be the best consensus mechanism in the blockchain industry (Delegated Byzantine Fault Tolerance beats out Bitcoin’s Proof-of-Work, according to some experts), and a high-return economic model (free NEO GAS for every NEO token an investor owns).

Great interview with $NEO co-founder/key developer Erik Zhang about #Neo’s future and how it truly will be the Smart Economy. The article is not really about why $ETH will surpass $BTC. Neo holds great value IMO. Good to hear Erik working tirelessly on Neo! 🚀 🚀 https://t.co/X4bvXG0SnX

At its height, one NEO token sold for more than $200 on some exchanges. Today, the same token will sell for less than $10. With tons of interest and development mounting behind “the Ethereum of China”, NEO may be poised to move to the head of the pack, even beyond Asia. Already faster and more scalable than Ethereum, NEO is definitely one of the two or three best smart contract platforms on the planet. We can’t give formal financial advice, but buying NEO, at these prices, could represent one of the best investment possibilities of 2019 so far.

2. Raiden (RDN)

Raiden is a second-layer solution for Ethereum. If that doesn’t make sense, think of it as Ethereum’s version of Bitcoin’s Lightning Network. If that still doesn’t make sense, it could be said that Raiden helps speed up Ethereum by taking some of its traffic. Users can fund Raiden nodes with Ether ETH, then use it to make payments and complete other transactions by sending the funds to other Raiden nodes. Ethereum doesn’t have to do any work to make these connections, taking lots of pressure off the Ethereum blockchain while Ethereum developers look for other scaling solutions.

Raiden RDN is the token used on the Raiden system, and it is way down in price since its all time high in January or last year. Despite all of the declining price action, Raiden development activity remains white hot. In fact, Raiden has more Github development activity than most other blockchains. Even though Raiden isn’t on the radar of many investors, there are few projects out there with a more committed developer base. Furthermore, if you believe in Ethereum, chances are you see the value in a strong second layer solution for the world’s largest smart contract platform. Do yourself a favor and research Raiden. You might find it fills an important gap in your cryptocurrency investment portfolio.

3. ICON (ICX)

ICON has been called South Korea’s Ethereum, and the analogy isn’t unfounded. Like Ethereum, ICON allows developers to create smart contracts on their blockchain. However, ICON is more focused on development within South Korea (even though it does have international ambitions). ICON works primarily to connect institutions within South Korea, for reduced friction in financial and data transfer. They also have many consumer-facing applications in their growing Dapp list. However, lest you think that ICON doesn’t look beyond its national borders, the company has recently opened up offices in San Francisco and Singapore, where its focus will be both B2B and B2C.

Very nice, #ICON‘s DEX, scheduled and confirmed to be released in Q4 2017, is now expected for Q1-2 2019 in this exciting news. Keep up the great work! $ICX

ICON development has slowed somewhat in the sustained crypto market downturn, but it has never ceased entirely. With renewed market interest has come increased activity from ICON core. Still down more than 90% from all time high, ICON ICX could represent an incredible opportunity. Not only will it facilitate exciting applications, users in South Korea can already buy ICON at physical ICON ATMs, for use as digital cash. ICON needs to hunker down and build on its promise, but it’s a project we still believe in.

4. ARK (ARK)

The so-called “WordPress of Blockchain” has done a ton of development during the 2018 market downturn. ARK is a blockchain ecosystem with many functions, but perhaps its most important is its “point, click, blockchain” initiative. ARK wants anyone to be able to be able to create their own blockchain and/or digital token with the push of a button, just like people can create their own website with ease using WordPress.

ARK also allows for interoperability between blockchains. Want to create an application that performs functions on Ethereum and Bitcoin at the same time? ARK can do that. in the coming months, ARK will also add smart contract functionality, so that people can develop complex dapps on the ARK blockchain itself. ARK is incorporated in France, and despite seeing many other smart contract platforms decline in recent months, development has neither ceased nor slowed.

ARK investors get great paybacks for staking coins, with annual returns hovering somewhere near 9%. ARK may not be the biggest or flashiest blockchain project, but they have great products and a solid governance/economic model (abuse-resistant Delegated Proof of Stake). Also boasting one of the best communities in the industry, ARK has an integrity that is very attractive in the flaky world of blockchain startups.

5. Ethereum (ETH)

You didn’t think we’d complete an investment list without mentioning Ethereum ETH, did you? Despite a miserable price year in 2018, Ethereum remains the world’s most developed blockchain. ETH has more developer talent working on its myriad functions than any other project, Bitcoin included.

Despite delays, arguments over new features, and a price in the absolute toilet, Ethereum is forging ahead, following the vision laid out by visionary leader Vitalik Buterin. So much has already been said about Ethereum, it hardly bears mentioning here. If you want to buy ETH, do your own research and seriously consider investing while the price is still low!

6. Ripple (XRP)

People love to hate on Ripple. And Ripple just keeps on growing. XRP unapologetically appeals to institutions. Even though this is anathema to certain blockchain aficionados, this singularity of focus has led Ripple to achieve, arguably, the greatest adoption success of any cryptocurrency in the world. XRP facilitates large financial transaction across borders, usually made by banks, which it allows to be much faster and cheaper than conventional methods. Already adopted by banks like PNC, Santander, and the Royal Bank of Canada, Ripple looks like a foundational new currency forging real world adoption like none other. Those who buy XRP at these low prices may be getting in on the (new) ground floor.

7. Travala (AVA)

Travala may be the best Dapp on the NEO blockchain. If you believe that any NEO application will succeed, AVA should be a part of your crypto portfolio. Aimed at the travel and hotel industry, Travala lists lodging and accommodations all around the world, to help travelers find the lowest prices available through any platform. It’s remarkable just how fast Travala adds new properties, and (unlike many other crypto apps) people actually use Travala. Could this be the killer app that breaks NEO into the mainstream? We’re not so sure yet. But it’s hard to imagine that AVA’s price will stay this low for long.

8. Binance Coin (BNB)

Binance remains the world’s most popular crypto-to-crypto exchange. Billions in digital assets are traded here each day, and what’s good for Binance is good for the industry at large. Binance’s BNB allows users to get trading discounts. Binance regularly burns BNB, reducing its circulating supply, thereby increasing the value of all holders’ BNB through the simple laws of supply and demand. If you think that crypto prices are going to bounce back, then you should really consider what this will do for Binance and, by extension, BNB.

9. Bitcoin (BTC)

OK, this one might seem a little obvious, but let’s think carefully of Bitcoin’s place in the market at this point in 2019. Bitcoin continues to lead the charge, and its price has suffered less over the past year than almost any altcoin. The majority of people in the world see the crypto industry as inseparable from Bitcoin. Bitcoin’s success is crypto’s success. This means that Bitcoin is relatively stable when compared to other coins. It also means that, if the bulls return to crypto markets, Bitcoin BTC will be the first price to increase.

Bitcoin has improved upon its foundation over the past year. Where Bitcoin used to be slow and expensive to use, matters have improved somewhat. The combination of Segregated Witness, second layer solution the Lightning Network, and other development factors, Bitcoin is slowly scaling its massive network, and keeping down fees in the process. Bitcoin development has remained doggedly committed in the past year. We think that, ultimately, one or more digital cash solutions will dominate the industry, and Bitcoin is more likely to succeed than any of its competitors. Will Bitcoin meet and exceed all time highs in 2019? Nobody knows for sure…but at these prices, buying Bitcoin is looking like a steal.

10. Monero (XMR)

Monero XMR is one of the most interesting cryptocurrencies there is. A true privacy coin, Monero can be transacted without a record of the identity of either the sending or receiving party. This leads some to conclude the Monero is sketchy – and indeed the coin has been used for some nefarious purposes – but Monero also has many legitimate and fully legal use cases. Even if a privacy coin can never be mainstream in the same way that a non-private coin like Bitcoin can, its secrecy also helps ensure its ongoing usefulness.

Monero XMR isn’t going anywhere. With XMR prices way down since all time highs in early 2018, today’s XRM buyers could have a real deal on their hands, one supported by one of the largest and most mature crypto communities of any competing blockchain platform. One coin will rule them all in privacy. You may buy Zcash or some other competitor’s claim at superiority more than Monero’s, but we tend to find XMR most successful.

So, which is next biggest cryptocurrency for 2019?

We can’t tell you which projects will succeed or fail in 2019, or which way to invest your money. Do your own research and invest only that which you could afford to lose. Prioritize projects that have excellent software, stand-out community support, devoted development, tangible use cases, and inspiring partnerships around the globe. We’ll be very interested to look at this list a year from now, to see how our predictions did. If crypto prices bounce back, though, we feel strongly that some of these projects will be among the most successful of 2019.

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